


Bold

by azureheavens



Series: Lord and Lady [5]
Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: F/M, Lingerie, Married Couple, One Shot, Post-Canon, Sir Those Are My Emotional Support Hets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 00:50:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18458096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azureheavens/pseuds/azureheavens
Summary: Happy in her new marriage but worried about her own lack of courage, Cheria takes matters into her own hands.





	Bold

As soon as Cheria opened the box and lifted the lacy, satiny piece of underwear, she buried her face in her hands. Ooohs and laughter chorused from the women around her, who all chipped in for the gift. “Don't be shy!” They cried out. “You'll be showing it off to your new husband soon enough!” Unconvinced, Cheria clamped that lid back down, her face burning red.

That was several months ago. The wedding came, and went, and never did that frilly set of lingerie leave the box.

The friends she made while she travelled with her relief group had become a sort of family to her. The women who were older than her turned into a legion of moms, and the ones closer to Cheria’s age, as few as there were, felt like sisters. Once they heard that she was going to marry the LORD of LHANT, they pried every detail from her they could.

She loved them and was grateful for their kindness, but receiving _this_ as their goodbye gift was beyond embarrassing!

Although, now that she finally put it on, it... didn't look half bad.

She was alone at night with the vanity mirror in their bedroom, the door locked in case Asbel came in too soon. Cheria already turned out the lights and lit some candles, the smell of jasmine wafting through the air. Just a few more tweaks, and she would be ready.

The lacy bra she wore was held up with ribbon tied behind her neck, her chest adorned with a cute silk bow stitched in the center. It hid a clasp that kept it in place, different from any other underwear she had. She traced the draping fabric with her fingertips as it split down to her hips, creating a ruffled window to her stomach. Her sheer, lacy panties fit snug around her hips, and covered almost nothing behind.

Cheria turned and twisted and sloped her back to see herself in new angles. She fluffed her hair, twisting strands around her fingers and posing in the mirror. She caught herself giggling, pressing her hands to her warming face. All the frills and low-cut fabric were adorable _and_ sexy. Oh, what would Asbel say…?

Oh. Oh, no.

What _would_ Asbel say?!

 _Uh, Cheria,_ came his imagined oblivious drawl. _I don’t think you’ll be very warm sleeping in that tonight._ Wouldn’t that be his reaction? Maybe he wouldn’t be very warm sleeping out in the hallway instead of with her.

Her hands dropped, but she snatched them up from defeat and pressed them into fists at her chest. Asbel may have been like that in the past, but things changed since they first got engaged. Long gone were clueless stares and fumbling attempts to guess what Cheria was thinking. Now the only fumbling came from Asbel rushing to take off her clothes, which he still needed guidance in at times. She wanted to try the lingerie on their first night, but things… proceeded quickly. A wedding gift of lilac liqueur made sure of that.

The rest of the time since, the lingerie burned a hole in her mind. Their first time was not the last time, but she waited for her courage to build up before she even dreamed of trying it on. She still didn’t know if she had enough, but the feeling nagged her throughout the day: How else would she know how to grab his attention when she wanted it?

Cheria let go of her breath. This would be the night _she_ would take the lead. Warmth blossomed in her as she called up memories of past nights to encourage herself. “Don’t overthink it…” She muttered while she tightened the bow at her neck, lifting her bust higher. “Too much subtlety will just fly over his head, anyway...”

The door handle jiggled. Cheria jumped. After a second of silence, Asbel knocked lightly. “Hello?”

“Um, one second!” She whirled her head around, making sure everything was in place. Showtime, whether she liked it or not. She cleansed her anxiety with a long breath and trotted to the door, her hand trying to pull the handle before remembering she locked it. She cursed herself silently.

“Are you okay in there?” Asbel’s sincere voice was quieter now. “Is the door stuck?”

“Things are fine! Um…” Cheria bit her lip. What would she do to make sure he was surprised? “When you come in, do you think you could close your eyes?”

“What for?”

“No reason!” Her voice was breathy. “You’ll know why in a second.”

First silence, then a confused sigh. “Alright,” he said, “but will you finally let me in?”

Cheria fought back a giggle. Her sudden giddiness carried her through the rest of her plan. “Okay, I’m unlocking it.” She undid the lock and pulled the door open, making sure to stay behind it in case he peeked. “Could you go sit on the bed, please?”

Asbel entered blindly, quickly finding it and sitting on the side facing the door. His head cocked curiously to the smell of the candles, but his eyes stayed loyally shut. “What’s this?”

She didn’t answer as she closed the door. “You know, I’ve been waiting a while for you…” The lock clicked shut. “Were you working hard?”

Asbel rolled his shoulders and started rubbing them. “Yeah, I had a lot of meetings today, and then all the paperwork afterward.”

She walked quietly to him, trying to keep the mood in the right place. Part of her wished she could see herself from Asbel’s view if his eyes weren’t closed. She wanted to know she looked as confident as she wanted to be. “If you want, I could rub your shoulders a bit. Help you relax a little?” She didn’t wait for an answer. She stood before him and smoothed her palms against his shoulders, kneading the muscle with her fingers. She loved touching them, as their definition always left her breathless.

Asbel started to reach for her too, but she shushed him. “Just wait a bit,” she whispered. Puzzled, he let his hands hang in the air. She continued massaging him, sloping her hands down toward his back. “Does that feel good?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, breathing steadily. He still didn’t seem to get it.

Time to amp it up. Cheria slid her hands under the collar of his jacket, pulling it off him. She ran her hands across his shoulders, then down his biceps, then to his warm hands. She guided them underneath the draping fabric and onto her lower back. Asbel jumped and his hands slide lower, surprised to feel bare skin and the lacy panty. She didn’t have to worry about holding back anymore for the surprise. Now he understood what she wanted.

Cheria pressed as much of her body against his as she could. She cupped his face in her hands and trailed countless kisses along his forehead, cheek, then mouth. He welcomed her there, kissing her, his hands rolling up and down her back. Heat pulled them closer. She wanted to start prying his shirt off when Asbel pulled back, his cheeks red. “Can I open my eyes yet?”

She had almost forgotten, so she added a few more kisses before allowing him. His eyes fluttered open and breath caught in his throat. Cheria bit her lip coyly as he looked her over, his grip on her waist tightening just enough to betray his thoughts. Then he spoke: “What _is_ that?”

Cheria winced but tried to keep her voice light. “What do you _think_ it is…?”

“N-no, I mean…” Asbel’s stammering settled as he ran his hands against the sheer fabric.  “When did you get this?”

“Hmm, not too long ago.” She flipped her hair from her eyes, running a finger from his cheek to his neck. “Do you like it?

His slack jaw gaze said it all. Asbel licked the corner of his mouth, probably where her taste lingered. Then his eyes met hers, his spectacular eyes. She could stare into them for days, though now there was an eager glint in them she savored. He grinned and tilted his head to beckon her. She melted into him, mouth falling on his. She let a small moan escape when his tongue played against hers. His hands wandered fervently, kneading her chest before rounding to the back. Her hands ran through his hair, before remembering to help him out of his shirt.

Heartbeat pounding deliciously in her ears, Cheria gasped loudly as Asbel wrapped his arms around her thighs and lifted her in the air. She squealed and laughed when he pressed her into the bed and kissed her harder. Murmured compliments and I love you’s mixed in between their hurried breaths. Once he undressed, his skin sparked against hers with tender friction, nothing but scant pieces of fabric separating them. Her hands trembled and traced the lines on his chest, then his abs. She wondered why he hadn’t taken the lingerie off her yet. Then she realized Asbel’s hands kept returning to her back, searching for-

She pulled her face away from his to find words and air again, while her husband began dutifully kissing her neck. She savored that too, but she wanted more than that. “Asbel… Y’know…?” He grunted in response, a quiet rumble in his chest. “It doesn’t unclasp… over there. It’s up front…”

He paused, and Cheria panicked she might have ruined the moment. Asbel propped himself over her, breathing heavily. He glanced to her bra, staring hard at it, then dropped his head with a sigh. “Oh…” He muttered.

Cheria whimpered in sympathy and brushed hair out of his face to show she didn’t mind, locking her hands behind his neck to say she wanted him back. He smiled ruefully, then lowered his head to kiss her more. “I’ll remember for next time,” he said, his voice wonderfully low.

Cheria smiled into his kiss and smoothed the back of his hair. They built up their momentum again, helped by Asbel undoing the ribbon at her neck and prying open the clasp. It made her happy that even these little mishaps never stopped the love that burst in her heart for this man. Their life together was just beginning, and she wanted it to bloom.

Soon her trail of thought waned, eclipsed by the passion overtaking her. She forgot her past anxiety in a desperate need for more, more. Their fingers laced together. His heartbeat pounded against hers. She wanted nothing else more.

Nothing else.

And now she knew how to get it.


End file.
